Willing Sacrifice
Page 22

“Never from a cliff.” Brenya lowered herself into a chair. “But yes.” She let out a tired sigh. “I have never known a soul like hers. Genuinely selfless with no thought of her own wants or needs. No thought of reward or praise.” She looked up at Torr, and her eyes were raging with silent, leaden waves. “If we had more creatures like her on our side, the war against the Synestryn would be over, victory assured.”
“There is no one else like Grace.”
Brenya gave a sad nod. “I know. Forged in pain, tempered by fear, polished by years of selfless service. She is a unique and rare creation, unbreakable by anyone but herself.”
“So you know what happened to her?” Torr knew she’d had a troubled life, but it was something they’d never talked about. Whenever any conversation started leading them toward the topic, Grace had deftly steered it in a different direction.
“I do. Those memories of her childhood are part of me now. I wish they were not.”
“Tell me,” he demanded. Grace’s silence about herself had always bothered him. Even her stepbrother refused to talk. All Torr knew was that their lives had been bad. Until now, he hadn’t even realized how bad.
But that was Grace. She wouldn’t give anyone pain if she could avoid it—even her own pain.
“No, young Theronai. They are not mine to give. And even if I could, you would not want them.”
“I want to know her. All of her. Even the bad parts.”
“For what purpose?”
He tried to think of something noble, but every answer he came up with was selfish. The truth was that he wanted her all to himself in every way he could have her. Even though he knew he was wrong for her. Even though he knew he would only cause her pain. “I should let her go, but I don’t know how. I love her.”
“I could make you forget her.”
Fury blasted him from the inside, making his voice come out in hot, seething rage. “Try and I will kill you.”
Brenya lifted a trembling hand. “Settle, Theronai. I am too weary to carry the love of another soul. I only meant to test your resolve.”
“Test me? Why?”
“Because I know our sweet Grace. Her desire to serve is too strong to deny. She will find a way to fight by your side, whether or not either of us allows it.”
“Why would she need to fight? We killed the Hunters.”
“Not all of them.”
“You weren’t even there. How could you know what we did?”
“I touched Grace. Her memories naturally flow into me. I saw what she did, and the beasts you killed were only two.”
“So there are more out there.”
“I have no idea how many the Masons created. What I do know is that the Hunters’ numbers will grow until the Masons complete the portal and you destroy all that remain.”
“What does the portal look like? I can go find it and see how close to completion it is.”
“Finding it will not be difficult, though it is imperative that you do so before the Masons finish construction of it so we know if the Solarc sends through more of his minions. What you should be asking is how to destroy it once the Masons leave. That is the tricky part.”
“Okay. How do I destroy it?”
“There are explosively powerful crystals on this planet. When I came here, I encased them in stone to keep them safe, keep them cool. The Hunters you encountered—the Masons formed them from this stone.”
“That’s why they were so cold.”
“The cold keeps the crystals stable.”
“And if the Masons are using that stone, then it’s weakening the protection you put in place. Tell me that’s not dangerous.”
“Of course it is, but it will also make your task easier.”
“How’s that?”
“Those crystals are powerful enough to destroy whatever portal the Masons may construct. You will need to collect some of them. If the Masons have already chipped away at the encasement, your work is nearly done for you.”
“How will I keep the crystals from exploding once I get them out of the stone?”
She bent and retrieved a box from beneath her bed. “This will keep the crystals cool.”
The outside of the carved box was wet with condensation. Torr took the box from Brenya, wiped away the drops and opened the tiny latch. The work was intricate, engraved with twisting vines and leaves that reminded him of his sword’s hilt. Inside, the box was lined with gleaming black stone. Frost formed across the shiny surface the instant it came in contact with the humid air.
He shut the lid and fastened the latch.
“What happens if the crystals get hot?”
She gave him a hard, warning stare. “Do not allow that. The energy the explosion puts out might not kill you, but it would certainly kill any animals or humans nearby within minutes.”
Including Grace. “Got it. Only one last thing I need to know. Where do I find the crystals?”
Brenya sighed with weary acceptance, and instantly Torr understood.
“Grace knows, doesn’t she?”
“Parts of me remain inside of her, filling the voids my healing left behind.”
“Why fill them with anything?”
“Emptiness is unnatural. It will be filled with something, and I did not want that something to be chosen by another. I thought the knowledge I gave her harmless at the time. There was no fear attached to it, only cold fact. She does not even know it is there within her, sleeping, as all of the memories I gave her are.”
“So I have to take one of you out there with me, don’t I?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re too weak to go hiking around the woods.”
“No, but I am needed here to keep the others safe—to keep the Hunters at bay.”
“So Grace has to go—the woman who stepped off a cliff today, hoping she remembered correctly that there was a ledge beneath to stop her fall.”
“You understand the situation well, young Theronai.”
“How am I supposed to keep her from tossing herself into a volcano or jumping into shark-infested waters?”
“That is the puzzle you must solve. It is one of the reasons why I brought you here.”
“Because you knew I’d protect Grace with my life?”
“Any of your kind would have done that much. Your vows demand it.”